3N THE CULTIVATION OP TULIPS. 15 



things tliat will be presented to your notice ; you must expect to buy 

 experience; perhaps that bought will prove the most useful. 



Tulips are divided into four classes. Bizarres, which are yellow 

 grounds with brown or black flame or featiier ; Byblomens, white 

 grounds with black, purple, or lilac flame or feather; Roses, white 

 grounds with scarlet or pink flame or feather; Tricolors are when 

 three or more colours are intermixed ; there are not many of this class ; 

 some of them make a good variety in a bed, but are not allowed as a 

 stage-flower. Some tulips are flamed, and some are feathered ; some 

 feathered and flamed. The flame is a direct stripe or blotch up the 

 centre of each petal ; the featiier is fine streaks on the edges of each 

 petal : with these features, and a perfectly clean bottom, they are much 

 prized ; and, accompanied with a good cup, will be fit for competition. 



Tiiere are a quantity of flowers that are not quite clean, yet are good 

 bed-flowers, for their colours and variety sake, but are not prized by 

 the fancy ; still it is possible for them sometimes to come clean, and 

 then in some cases they are grand things (for instance, Louis the Six- 

 teenth ; I once went thirty miles to see one ; it was splendid). So much 

 for passing remarks which I could not well avoid ; they will be useful 

 to you as yon proceed. Kow for their cultivation. 



I would advise a bed to be made from east to west, of any length 

 your fancy may dictate ; and you have bulbs to fill with, be careful it 

 be not within the dripping of trees; rather it were near a hedge than a 

 brick wall. Mark it out four feet wide; take out the earth one foot 

 deep ; then in the middle make a drain about eighteen inches wide and 

 one foot deep ; fill this up with brickbats, broken tiles, and stones, in 

 order tiiat it may be open to receive all the drainings that may come 

 through and around the bed. Cover tliis with turf, with ihe grass 

 downwards, so that the earth of the bed do not fill up the interstices 

 between the bricks and stones ; then fill in six inches of good old rotten 

 horse-dung and cow-dung, some sand or old morter rubbish well mixed ; 

 scatter over this some unslacked lime : when all this is incorporated, 

 add twelve inches of good sweet mould ; if rotten turf the better, that 

 l)as laid three or four years, and been turned over four or five times ; it 

 may be sifted through a coarse sieve, and the roughest put at the 

 bottom. If you have not tids, some old rotten couch mould ; let it be 

 sweet, and some lime sprinkled over it to destroy insects and worms, &c. 

 If you cannot get eitlier of these, use some good clean garden mould. 

 I have seen tulips grown well in mould taken from a part of tlie garden 

 that liad been welldunged and had grown a crop of cabbages ; I would 

 rather it not be too light. This mould will raise your bed six or seven 

 inches higher than the patiis ; the earth may be kept up with turf cut 

 from a meadow; if kept well trimmed it looks neat, but I much prefer 

 boards; if kept painted they last a long time, and need not any moving 

 wlien tiie bed is made up for future seasons ; and another use will be 

 mentioned as we proceed. Rake the earth a few inciier, higher in the 

 middle than the sides for the water to run off in iieavy rains. 



Let tiiis bed lay about a month before you plant, to properly settle 

 down, in order that it may be ratlier dry. When you plant, I advise 

 that the bed be covered over with sometiiingto keep oflP the wet a week 



